


Calling of the Little Velvet Box

by catstellation



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/M, M/M, Marriage Proposal, again no one knows, antonio is too stressed out, is that a good cry or bad cry, lovino cries, oof does it go over well? no one knows, save him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-14 02:02:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18043331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catstellation/pseuds/catstellation
Summary: Antonio bought a ring. He doesn't know how to give it to Lovino.When he figures out how to, he turns into a ball of anxiety and stress. That's a mood right there.





	Calling of the Little Velvet Box

When Antonio finally decided that he was going to propose, his throat immediately clenched, and his stomach flipped like a fish out of water. Nervousness isn’t what he would describe that emotion. He didn’t know what to label it. It was an unholy mix of every emotion, ever. A clusterfuck of emotions, if you will. It settled in the back of his mind and in his stomach, and wouldn’t go away.

He had come to that decision almost after six entire years of dating Lovino. That was far too long for him to come to the decision, but he still didn’t even know at that point if it was the right idea. What if Lovino was planning on breaking up with him? What if it was on the same night, Antonio proposes and Lovino breaks up with him? What if he spent all this money on a ring he’s never going to use?

That was another struggle. Finding a ring that he thought was enough for Lovino. Personally, he liked just a simple band. But he knew that his hopefully-soon-to-be-fiancé liked to have coordinated clothes, so a simple metal was out of the question. Gold or silver wouldn’t go with every outfit Lovino wore, so finding an in-between or an alternate colour was a good start. Platinum made sense, but it was extremely expensive and they were both basically fresh out of college. Not literally, but at their financial state… it wasn’t too far off. So the ring had to be decently cheap.

After almost three months of searching, Antonio found the perfect ring. It turned out to be a black metal ring that had little black stones in it. He had recalled that Lovino mentioned black went with literally everything, so really, it was perfect in many ways. It wasn’t traditional, but it had to work. He just really hoped that Lovino wouldn’t hate it. What if he did? What would Toni do? Would he just offer to buy a different ring, or would that be the end of their relationship? He really needed to stop thinking so hard about this.

The next thing to do was to figure out _how_ he was going to propose. He decided to ask Francis how he should do it, and Gilbert, because both of them had done it before. 

“You need to make it the perfect night,” Francis had insisted, “nice romantic dinner, candlelit and nothing else. By the ocean too, nice salty air. Bit of wine, fairy lights, pop the question after he laughs.”

Antonio scrunched his nose. “Okay, I think that’s a nice idea, but that’s literally identical to what you did for Arthur. Except you dropped the ring into the ocean. I don’t want that kind of bad luck on me too.”

“Forget that. Far too hard.” Gilbert grabbed the spaniard by the shoulder, effectively spinning him around. “Listen. Me and Liz--”

“Liz and I, Gilbert.”

“Whatever. Liz and I went to a carnival. I had the ring in my pocket for ages, and I finally felt the time was right when she beat me in a hotdog eating contest. Sometimes it’s just whenever. You don’t have to rush.”

The other two exchange glances, surprised at Gilbert’s insight. “That’s… actually kind of smart,” Antonio admitted slowly, “that could work…”

“Didn’t she reject you, mon ami?” Francis interrupted, frowning at the albino man, who waved it off. 

“Yeah, but then an hour later I insisted and she accepted. I think she was just too nervous right at that moment. Or sick. She ate like, ten hotdogs. It was hot.”

“...Right.” Antonio put his face in his hands, letting out a frustrated groan. “I… I want it to be perfect. I really do love him, you know.”

Francis pat him on the back, smiling softly. “When in doubt, follow your heart. Somewhere in that big nerdy heart of yours is wiggle room for planning a proposal.”

There were only a few things after that conversation that needed to be done. Technically, Antonio forgot to do that part, so telling Feliciano his plan to marry his brother was going to be a bit different than Toni probably wanted. He knocked on the door to Feliciano’s house, bouncing on the balls of his feet. The door was thankfully answered quite quickly. 

The brother in question stepped out, pulling him into a quick embrace. As ever, the artistic man was covered in some kind of paint. “Ah, Antonio! What’s up?”

“Hey, Feli. Um, so, uh, I was just going to ask you a few things, so can I…”

“Oh! Right! Sorry, silly me. I should have invited you in earlier. Come on in.” He led Antonio into the lovely little place. “Right, okay. What’s up?” 

“Well, as you know, um. Lovino and I have been dating for what, six and a half years now?”

Feliciano narrowed his eyes, wiping his hands on a rag. “Yes… why. Did you forget that your anniversary is next month?”

Shit. So he had. “No, of course not. Listen, I wanted to ask… for your approval.”

“Of what?”

“I want to marry Lovino.”

Feliciano didn’t look happy, or mad, he just looked a bit surprised. “Oh. And why did you come to me then?”

“For your approval,” he repeated, “I know you’re basically his only living blood relative so I figured I’d go to you.”

“What about Romeo?”

Did Lovi have another boyfriend?? Antonio felt sick. “Who… who is…”

“Our other brother. You said I was the only living relative but that’s not true. Romeo is alive.”

“What!? I’ve literally never been informed of another brother!” He was relieved and confused, the sick feeling fading all at once. “Dang, well, should I ask for his approval as well?”

Feliciano shrugged. “He still lives in Italy. I wouldn’t ask you to go out there just to ask.”

“Why did you bring him up then?”

“I just figured Lovino didn’t say anything about Romeo. It doesn’t matter. Yes, I approve.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you, Feliciano!” He pulled the younger man into a hug, smiling. “Please don’t mention anything. This has to be a big surprise.”

“I know. Oh, and Antonio?”

Pulling back, he tipped his head. “Yeah?”

“If you do anything to scare or hurt Lovino I will not hesitate to paint an angry picture.” He paused. “With your blood. Anyway, I have stuff to do, bye!”

Antonio didn’t know how to feel. 

Over the next few months, Antonio kept the little black box nearby, whether it be in his briefcase or glasses case. And God, he was suffering. He both hated and loved that Lovino worked with him. Loved it, for… obvious reasons, but hated it because every time the man did anything, the small black box seemed to glare at Antonio.

When they made eye contact from their desks, and when Lovino smiled, and really did anything, it was so hard not to just blurt it out. Antonio would feel his knees weaken and his heart race. One particular day, Antonio couldn’t really take it anymore. During his break, he went over to Lovino. 

“Hey, Lovi.” 

The other man spun around slowly in his office chair, leaning back. “Toni. What’s up?”

And, there were the nerves again. His hands started shaking and he shuffled his feet nervously. “Ah, well, I mean, I was um…” he paused, biting his lip. “Wanna go out for dinner later?”

“Mm, sure. What’s wrong?” Lovino looked slightly concerned, tipping his head, “You okay, bastard?”

“Y-yeah, it’s really nothing. Just… stressed, I think.”

Doubtful, but not willing to push it, Lovino nodded. “If you say so. Where do you want to go?”

Where _did_ he want to go? He didn’t think anything through. Would it be best if he went somewhere that had meaning to them? Like, where they first met? No, that wasn’t a restaurant. In all his thinking, he didn’t realize that he went silent. 

“Uh… Toni. Love. You look pale. Are you _sure_ you’re okay?” Lovino stood up, making Toni jump, shaking himself out of his thoughts. 

“Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”

“That was way too many damn ‘yeah’s in a sentence. What’s going on?”

“Nothing, I swear,” Antonio assured him, “we just need to talk, over food preferably.”

“Is this because I ate the rest of your fucking Cap’n Crunch cereal? I didn’t know it was the last box, okay? Simple mistake. Plus, I don’t have any at my apartment so yours was the only option.”

Letting out an offended gasp, Antonio swatted Lovino’s shoulder. “Ugh! I knew I shouldn’t have left it on the counter! You dirty cereal-stealer!”

Lovino laughed, and lo and behold, Antonio felt the call of the ring all the way back at his desk. 

For the rest of the day, his mind was both hazy and overthinking, gears turning. He wanted to make this night special but here he was with no proper idea as to how he was going to do this. When he got home, he couldn’t stop pacing. He called Gilbert. “It’s tonight, I’m doing it tonight, I said I was going to talk to him, and now I don’t know what to do! Gilbert, you gotta help!”

“Hey, hey, slow down, Turtle Boy. Clearly you thought how was the right time, so take a deep breath. Did you say where you were going for dinner?”

“No… and I don’t know where I’m actually going to go!”

“Okay, calm down, Antonio. Stressing isn’t going to help.” Gilbert sighed, and Antonio tried to control his breathing. “Alright. Does Lovino like a certain restaurant? His favourite one?”

Did he have one? Antonio still couldn’t think straight. “Um, I think… I think he likes the one that’s on the high rise, the one with the really good ravioli…”

“Okay, there you go. So you have a place to eat. Do you have stuff to wear?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Good. Don’t forget the ring from your desk, and then you’re set. Just treat it like it’s a normal date. You’re going to get even more stressed if you keep thinking about it and he might not like the atmosphere. Okay? You’re good now?”

Drawing a shaky breath, Antonio nodded, even though Gilbert couldn’t see. “I think so. Just… text me later, okay?”

“Fine. See you later. Good luck!”

With that, Gilbert hung up, and Antonio was left in his thoughts again. He grabbed his nicest dress shirt, buttoning it up and tucking it into his pants. Lovino always mentioned Antonio’s dirty glasses, so he pulled them off and wiped at them furiously. He had fifteen minutes before he had to leave. Should he tie his hair back? He had enough to put into a small ponytail, but he had never done it before… should he wear contacts maybe? He wore them a few times before… what about his shoes? He had cleaned his shoes. They were fine.

After what felt like seconds, he had to leave. He shoved the feeling of nervousness down and grabbed his keys, phone and… the little black box. It was really happening tonight, wasn’t it? He couldn’t feel more excited and terrified, ever. This really was the most stressful thing in a while. 

When he arrived at the restaurant, he simply had to admit that Lovino looked stunning in black pants, a white dress shirt, and a tan vest. Leave it up to Lovino to look better, all the time, no matter what. And with that smile that he subtly gave Toni at his obvious gawking really made him weak in the knees. He needed to see that smile, every day, no matter what.

He knew that proposing was the best choice. 

But everything was happening too fast.

It felt like they were seated immediately (which, really, they were; there was a reservation for them, duh) and he barely had time to think before they were ordering, and eating, and finishing, and this was all too fast, and Antonio wasn’t prepared. Not at all. Was he supposed to give a speech? When did he do it?

“For someone who basically spends all day outdoors, you really look pale,” Lovino commented as they left the restaurant, hands locked together, “you’ve been acting fucking weird all day. Are you sick? You bastard, you shouldn’t have come!”

“It’s not that,” Antonio defended, chewing his lip nervously, “I just… feel… weird.”

They both were on autopilot, not walking to their cars but instead to the park along the seawall. Lovino still was quite obviously concerned. “Why? You mentioned you were stressed earlier but you said it yourself yesterday, we barely have any work right now. There’s nothing to be stressed about at work. Is everyone okay?”

As Antonio nodded, he figured it was really now or never. Best to get rejected quick so he was sad, not this weird clusterfuck of emotions. He dug in his pocket and grabbed the soft little box. “It’s this. This has been on my mind.”

“A watch...?”

“No! Not a watch, Lovino. Look.”

He pulled open the lid, showing it to Lovino, who leaned over to inspect it. Maybe choosing a black box with black lining and a black ring wasn’t the smartest move, but the dusk light glinted off the little stones just perfectly. Lovino frowned.

“A ring. Who gave it to you? This is why you’re stressed?”

Antonio quickly got down on one knee. “It’s not a matter of who _gave_ it to me, it’s matter of who I’m giving it _to_.”

The italian man looked blank for a few split seconds before he really realized what was going on. His face went red, then white. “An-Antonio... when… what are--?”

Now it was time for the speech that Toni didn’t even think of yet, so he just smiled which may have looked slightly pleading. “Lovino, it’s been six years. I think I kind of owe you a ring and a wedding at this point, no?”

At this point, Lovino had tears running down his cheeks, much to Antonio’s dismay. He didn’t want Lovino to cry! Unless… “That’s a happy cry, I hope.”

“T-Toni…” Lovino choked out in disbelief. Apparently his hands didn’t know what to do, wipe away his tears or cover his mouth or cover his chest. So they sort of stayed in between those three areas, which Antonio would have found funny if he was not having a mini panic attack.

“Lovino Something-Something-Something Vargas, you have far too many names for me to remember, but I’m willing to add one more. Will you marry me?”

There. Hopefully his point was clear and now all Lovino had to do was reject--

“Yes!” Lovino cried, “God, yes!”

Uncontrollable happiness made both Antonio’s chest and head simultaneously feel light and constricted both at the same time. That feeling was still confusing but it was all positives. He stood up. “Really?!”

“Of course! Oh, Antonio, you wonderful bastard! I knew something was up but I was terrified you were breaking up with me!” Lovino pulled Antonio down into a firm kiss, but they were both smiling too much for it to last very long. “This is so much better!”

He couldn’t help but laugh, tears starting to prick his own eyes. “Oh, I would never. I would die if I broke up with you.” 

Lovino stared at the ring, eyes still twinkling with happiness and disbelief. “And you got it in black--”

“--so it would go with all your outfits--”

“--because black goes with everything!” Lovino sniffled as Antonio slid it onto his finger, biting his lip and trying to stop half-sobbing-half-laughing. “You really know me so well…”

“I’d better know my fiancé really well, because if I didn’t, that would be sad,” Antonio joked, kissing Lovino’s forehead, who in return pulled him into a tight hug. The italian man was far too happy to think straight, tears still running down his cheeks. 

“I’ve uh. Wanted this for ages,” he admitted, words muffled by Antonio’s dress shirt, “so I’m um. Really happy. I didn’t think I would cry, though.”

The spaniard chuckled. “I didn’t think I would, either, but look where we are.”

It was a while they stood, soaking in each other’s presence. Antonio knew he made the right decision. He had been waiting for so long and now that he had Lovino forever, he was unbelievably happy. Now all they had to do was plan a wedding. That was easy.

...Right?

**Author's Note:**

> gags okay hi uh hope it wasnt as terrible and if there are spelling/grammatical errors then let me know and i shall fix thanks have a good day reading better fics ;)


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